Just got a new board, that has a five fin set up. It has a fishy shape but still mains the performance of a shortboard. I have never ridden a quad before. Do people suggest quads that this type of board in general? what will be the main differences too?
I ride thrusters in everything feel like the center fun is a good anchor when setting a hard bottom turn. I've tried every quad set up, always slide out and it's never as responsive. Everyone will tell you to go quad, but it's all personal pref. You got the 5 fin, and some waves. Try it out a few ways.
The main differences, YAH, ya dork, is that the tri fin has three fins, the quad has four. Can you count that high?? Maybe if you watch "The Count" on Sesame Street, you can improve your decision making..... kids today <grin>
It depends on how you surf which will feel right. I ride only quads in everything and have for the last 5 years. The way I surf and the waves that I prefer the quad is perfect. Cant stand the feel of a thruster anymore.
Lmao o Barry I have two boards with the 5 fin converter and I always go thruster. Tried quad setup but didn't feel too good to me. One is a fish / HPSB hybrid, the other is a true HPSB. I also found I like large fins over medium because I like to really lean into my turns and I like how they keep me from sliding out. I may eventually try quad again if I get bored but if it ain't broke don't fix it.
I prefer thruster. Possibly just because that's what I'm used to. Have two boards with the 5 fin convertible setup. There both basically the same board, just diffrent sizes. Ones a step up, ones an everyday SB. Shape is similar to a hypto. I hadn't really tested them out as a quad. Just a sesh here or there. The quads deffinitly faster. Not as responsive. My biggest issue with a quad is when making a bottom turn. People say they slide out and you have to get used to it. I don't know if I would say I experienced them sliding out, feels more like a delay. Like the fins aren't engaging right away. Maybe that's the sliding out people describe. I have to keep trying it out myself. The skatey feel has me intrigued, now I just got to figure out the bottom turn. Maybe in mushier waves I'll have more success with a quad. That's just my opinion and experience on them. Prefer thruster. It's all about the individual though. Your going to have to try it yourself. I will suggest sticking with the thruster for now if that's what your used to. Get the board dialed in a bit. THEN try the quad out. That way you have a sort of base line to compare the diffrent feel to
Just surf it with all 5 fins... Just make sure that the pointy end of the fin points toward the nose... I think it really depends on the waves and your mood really... It's a different style of surfing. Somethings you ca. Do with a thruster, you can't with a quad and vise versa. You really just gotta try out the quad for a while on different types of waves- you may really like the change up. I like quads for the skatey feeling they have and also the speed. It feels like you can get more down the line speed but obviously not as much speed cranking thru a turn as a thruster. If its a fish I would opt for a quad and try it on a mushy day when you have a hard time performing well in a thruster One bit of advice is try different quad fins if you automatically hate it the first time you surf it. I found the fins on a quad make a huge and notable difference - personally I like the trailer fins to be a bit smaller then your normal quad trailers
The farther from the stringer the quad trailers are, the more pressure you have to put on the tail (rear foot as far back as possible) to make the board turn. If you've been exclusively riding thrusters, getting into the habit of cranking on a quads's tail through turns can take can take some time/acclimation. For those that stick to quads, the trade off is a glide-ier (faster) board in small waves. Most people just stick to thrusters because they're easier to surf, in general. They pivot easier, go straight up easier, and are more stable in larger waves. There's no learning curve. Imo, using all 5 fins is unnecessary. If the waves are large enough for the center fin, might as well just ride it as a thruster. In small waves, the center fin just adds drag.
I'm not getting a clear picture of the shape from this description. Can you post a pic or two? Generally, quads in the shortboard range of sizes (meaning, not big wave boards) are usually preferred in smaller, weaker surf. I like quads in under head high waves, and lately I've been riding the quad with the little nubster, which adds what I call a "centering" element, similar to how a thruster feels when going from rail to rail. You still get the added power, speed, and lift from the quad setup, but helps smooth out the transition from one rail to the other, which I think feels a bit staged on a quad. So you always have that option, too. When the waves are good... head high and up... you don't usually need to generate speed because the wave gives you all the speed you need. So a thruster works better for me in those kinds of conditions. Still, there are quad devotees who swear by quads in all waves. I was in that group for a few years myself. My suggestion would be to set it up as a quad and ride it for an hour or two, then get out and switch it to a thruster to really get a true sense of the difference. Then report back here!
There's like 17 other threads available here going back at least 8 years on quad/thruster comparisons.
Quads are great for speed and looseness in small gutless waves, or speed and hold in really hard to make almost closing out surf, which i get a lot of both here. Now go get a twin fin and a single fin and report back.
Agreed. And if your want more "hold", get bigger quad rears. Quads get you to the next patch every time.
True... but that's a whole other animal. Specifically, the distance between the fins measured across the stringer, not front to back, gets a lot shorter.
Since i don't ride very large surf i left that out, but yes, for years now big wave surfers have had good results with quads as well. I stand corrected.
I like quads in smaller weaker surf where making your own speed is important. You get more projection and drive out of pumps and turns with quads. Thrusters are the call in better waves where turns are the focus and making speed is less important.
excellent point. We get more reeling closeouts than not here, too, and the only thing that can make those waves are quads. ...but, most importantly, quads looks super cool. Thrusters have become so ingrained in popular culture, no one even notices them anymore...but quads still turn heads. Don't tell me you don't feel like a bad-ass with a really hot little quad fish under your arm. You can feel people staring at it in amazement; with the occasional "ooh, look at that thing" type comments.
